Skating and boarding system having a mounting adapter and interchangeable components

ABSTRACT

A skating and boarding system includes a mounting adapter and interchangeable components which may include roller skating wheels, ice skating blades, and mini-skis. These various components are typically mounted on the bottom of the boot such as a ski boot although they may also be mounted on the bottom of a board such as a typical skate boarding board. In addition to the interchangeability concept, an ice skate is disclosed which utilizes wheel-shaped blades, as well as several embodiments of a ski skate and a skiing board with a mini-ski mounted thereon.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority from U.S. Provisional Application Ser.No. 61/157,590 filed Mar. 5, 2009; the disclosure of which isincorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Technical Field

The present invention is related generally to sports equipmentassociated broadly with skating, skiing and boarding. More particularly,the invention is related to ice skates, roller skates, ski skates, skiboards and the like along with a mounting adapter which facilitates theinterchangeability of various components of the system.

2. Background Information

The world of extreme sports has developed fairly rapidly in recent timesand includes relatively high risk activities which often include movingat fairly high rates of speed with a minimum amount of equipment. Thisoften involves downhill events such as high speed, downhill on-road andoff-road roller skating, or downhill events performed on snow and ice,such as snowboarding and the like. Various advances have been made inthe types of boots which are utilized in such events as well as inroller skating or ice skating which may involve daredevil tricks and soforth. There is thus a substantial amount of interest in the developmentof new extreme sports equipment within this field. In addition, sportsenthusiasts within this field often are involved in more than one areaof the field involving skating, skiing and boarding. Thus, in additionto the interest in the field for new overall concepts, it would behelpful to have a system which provides for the interchangeability ofvarious components which would allow, for instance, a given boot orboard to be used for rolling or gliding on pavement, dirt, ice, snow andso forth.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a skating and boarding system having amounting adapter which allows for the interchangeability of variouscomponents of the system to create multiple embodiments of ice skates,roller skates, ski skates and ski boards.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

A preferred embodiment of the invention, illustrated of the best mode inwhich Applicant contemplates applying the principles, is set forth inthe following description and is shown in the drawings and isparticularly and distinctly pointed out and set forth in the appendedclaims.

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of the ice skate of the presentinvention.

FIG. 2 is a bottom plan view of the ice skate.

FIG. 3 is a bottom plan view similar to FIG. 2 with the ice bladeassemblies removed to illustrate the mounting of the rail on the bottomof the boot.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged side elevational view of one of the circular iceblade assemblies.

FIG. 5 is a front elevational view of one of the ice blade assemblies.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged front elevational view of the encircled portion ofFIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken on line 7-7 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 8 is a side elevational view of a first embodiment of the ski skateof the present invention utilizing the first embodiment of the mountingadapter of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a bottom plan view of the first embodiment of the ski skate.

FIG. 10 is a bottom plan view similar to FIG. 9 with the mini-skiremoved.

FIG. 11 is a bottom plan view similar to FIG. 10 showing the railremoved from the mounting plate of the mounting adapter.

FIG. 12 is a side elevational view of the mini-ski shown in FIG. 8.

FIG. 12A is a side elevational view of an alternate mini-ski.

FIG. 13 is a sectional view taken on line 13-13 of FIG. 8.

FIG. 14 is a side elevational view of a second embodiment of the skiskate of the present invention which includes two mini-skis mounted viathe first embodiment of the mounting adapter.

FIG. 15 is a side elevational view of a third embodiment of the skiskate of the present invention which utilizes four mini-skis.

FIG. 16 is a bottom plan view of the third embodiment of the ski skate.

FIG. 17 is a front elevational view of the front truck of the thirdembodiment of the ski skate showing the front pair of mini-skis, andbottom of the boot in section.

FIG. 18 is a side elevational view of a roller skate which utilizes asecond embodiment of the mounting adapter of the present invention tomount the trucks and wheels on the bottom of a quick release ski bootbinder which is shown securing a ski boot.

FIG. 19 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of the mountingadapter.

FIG. 20 is an exploded perspective view of the second embodiment of themounting adapter.

FIG. 21 is a top plan view of the rear upper plate of the secondembodiment of the mounting adapter.

FIG. 22 is a top plan view of the front upper mounting plate of thesecond embodiment of the mounting adapter.

FIG. 23 is a bottom plan view of the front upper plate shown in FIG. 22.

FIG. 24 is a sectional view taken on line 24-24 of FIG. 22.

FIG. 25 is a front elevational view of the front wheel assembly of theroller skate of FIG. 18 showing the wheels in section.

FIG. 26 is a fourth embodiment of the ski skate of the present inventionin which the four mini-skis thereof are mounted on the trucks in placeof the wheels shown in FIG. 18.

FIG. 27 is a side elevational view of the ski board of the presentinvention.

FIG. 28 is a bottom plan view of the ski board with the two mini-skisshown in phantom so that the mounting rail may be seen.

FIG. 29 is a sectional view taken on line 29-29 of FIG. 28.

FIG. 30 is a sectional view taken on line 30-30 of FIG. 27 showing therear mini-ski in a front elevational view.

Similar numbers refer to similar parts throughout the drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The system of the present invention includes an ice skate which isgenerally referred to at 10 in FIG. 1. The system also includes skiskates, roller skates, a ski board and mounting adapters which allow forthe interchangeability of various components of the system. Ice skate 10is used for skating on ice 8 and includes a boot 12, a blade assemblymounting rail 14 and five inline circular ice skating blade assembliesor ice blade assemblies 16 which are more particularly illustrated at16A-E from front to back. FIG. 1 illustrates a right ice skate 10 whichis worn on the user's right foot. It will be understood that the presentinvention includes the left ice skate and boot as well which aresubstantially mirror images of the right ice skate and right boot.Similarly, the various embodiments within the present application whichutilize a right boot are also deemed to include the counter part leftboot and corresponding overall structure associated therewith.

Boot 12 may be any boot which is suitably configured for mounting rail14 and blade assembly 16 thereon. In the exemplary embodiment, boot 12is illustrated as a boot typically used for inline roller skating or aroller skate which in particular is known as a “Downtown III” sold underthe trademark Rollerblade®. Boot 12 has a top 18, a bottom 20, a frontor toe 22 and a rear or heel 24. Boot 12 includes an outer sole 26 whichis made of substantially rigid material such as a substantially rigidplastic or the like. Sole 26 extends from toe 22 to heel 24 and definesthe entire bottom 20 of a foot receiving portion 28, from which an anklereceiving portion 30 extends upwardly. In addition to outer sole 26,portion 28 is typically also formed of flexible and tough material 32 incombination with durable breathable material 34 which is also flexibleand allows the passage of air therethrough in order to help ventilatethe foot. A lace-up section of portion 28 includes a lace 36. Anklereceiving portion 30 typically includes a reinforced ankle cuff 38 madeof a substantially rigid plastic material which nonetheless allows forsome flexing to allow the user's foot to be inserted and removedtherefrom when a strap 40 is loosened via a strap tightening andloosening mechanism 42.

Referring to FIG. 3, front and rear 22 and 24 define therebetween alength L1 and longitudinal direction of boot 12 and ice skate 10. Outersole 26 has a flat bottom 27 which forms most of bottom 20 of boot 12.Flat bottom 27 has a front end 29 adjacent and rearward of front 22, arear end 31 adjacent and forward of rear end 24, a left side 33 and aright side 35. Left and right sides 33 and 35 define therebetween awidth W1 (FIG. 3) which represents the widest portion of flat bottom 27and typically the widest portion or nearly the widest portion of boot12. Front and rear ends 29 and 31 define therebetween a length L2 offlat bottom 27 which is somewhat less than length L1. Although the ratiobetween lengths L1 and L2 may vary, length L2 is typically in the rangeof about 70 to 90 percent of length L1 and in the exemplary embodimentis about 80 percent of length L1. However, length L2 may equal length L1or be somewhat longer than length L1 depending on the specificconfiguration of boot 12. In general, length L2 is configured to providethe suitable stability to the connection between boot 12 and mountingrail 14 or other mounting structures secured thereto although it isusually no longer than the length of a typical boot of this nature.

Mounting rail 14 has a front 44 and a rear 46 such that front 44 isgenerally aligned with toe 22 of boot 12 and rear 46 is adjacent andsomewhat rearward of heel 24. Rail 14 is generally elongated from frontto back and includes a horizontal top wall 48, a vertical left wall 50and a vertical right wall 52 which are likewise elongated. The top oftop wall 48 is rigidly secured to the bottom 26 of boot 12 typically viafront and rear threaded fasteners 54 (FIG. 3) such as screws or bolts.Left and right walls 50 and 52 are rigidly secured to and extendvertically downward from the opposite sides of top wall 48 and definetherebetween a blade-receiving space 56 in which ice blade assemblies 16are received when mounted thereon. The top of top wall 48 is receivedwithin an upwardly extending groove 58 which is formed in bottom 20 ofouter sole 26 of boot 12. Fasteners 54 are threaded into internallythreaded holes (not shown) formed in the bottom of boot 12. A pair ofholes 60 is formed in top wall 48 adjacent its front end. Likewise, apair of holes 60 is formed in top wall 48 generally adjacent its rearend. Fasteners 54 extend respectively through one of the front holes 60and one of the rear holes 60. As shown in FIG. 3, only two of the holes60 have fasteners extending therethrough. However, these holes may beutilized to receive other fasteners depending on what mounting rail 14is mounted on.

Each of left and right walls 50 includes four triangular sections 62which are arranged sequentially from front to back. Each section 62includes a generally horizontal bottom finger 64, a front finger 56which is rigidly secured to and angles upwardly and rearwardly from thefront of bottom finger 64 and a rear finger 68 which is rigidly securedto and angles upwardly and forward from the rear of bottom finger 64 toform a rigid connection with front finger 66 at the respective topsthereof adjacent top wall 48. Each of triangular sections 62 defines atriangular space within fingers 64, 66 and 68. Each of the adjacentpairs of triangular sections 62 also forms respective triangular spacestherebetween which are inverted relative to the other triangular spaces.More particularly, the inverse spaces are defined between top wall 48and an adjacent finger 66 and rear finger 68 of an adjacent section 62.

Each of the circular ice blade assemblies 16 is mounted on mounting rail14 via fasteners 70 which are typically threaded fasteners in the formof a bolt or the like. The shaft of each fastener 70 passes through therespective ice blade assembly and may serve as an axle about which thecircular ice blade assemblies are rotatably mounted so that they mayrotate like wheels. However, blade assemblies 16 may also benon-rotatably mounted on rail 14. As shown in FIG. 7, each fastener 70extends through a nonthreaded counterbore hole 72 formed in rightsidewall 52 and into an internally threaded hole 74 formed in leftsidewall 50 and aligned with the respective hole 72. Fastener 70 thusincludes a threaded portion 76 which threadedly engages the threads ofholes 74 while the other end of fastener 70 includes an enlarged headwhich is received in the counterbore section of hole 72. There are thusfive sets of aligned holes 72 and 74 for respectively receiving the fivefasteners 70 to respectively mount the five ice blade assemblies 16.

Referring now to FIGS. 4-7, ice blade assembly 16 is described ingreater detail. Each assembly 16 includes a blade 80 and right and leftside walls 82 and 84 which are secured to blade 80 via a plurality ofthreaded fasteners 86 such as screws which extend through holes 88, 90and 92 respectively formed in right side wall 82, blade 80 and left sidewall 84. Holes 88 and 90 are non-threaded while hole 92 is threadedwhereby each threaded fastener threadedly engages the threads of hole92. The tightening of screws 86 thus causes right and left side walls 82and 84 to clamp blade 80 therebetween. Central holes 94, 96 and 98 arerespectively formed in the centers of right side wall 82, blade 80 andleft side wall 84. Said holes are aligned with one another to receivetherein one or more bearings 100 if it is desired that blade assembly 16be rotatably mounted as a wheel. A bushing 102 may also be provided toreceive therethrough the shaft of fastener 70 with the one or morebearings 100 engaging and circumscribing the outer circumference ofbushing 102. Bushing 102 serves as a spacer with its opposed endsabutting the respective inner surfaces of sidewalls 50 and 52 adjacentthe lower ends thereof in order to maintain a consistent spacing betweenthe lower portion of sidewalls 50 and 52.

Spacer 102 thus prevents fasteners 70 when tightened from collapsing thelower portions of sidewalls 50 and 52 toward one another beyond thelength of spacer 102. It is noted that although the four fasteners 70other than the central fastener 70 are not used to secure mini-ski 112to the bottom of rail 14, these fasteners are nonetheless still suitablytightened onto the spaced sidewalls 50 and 52 with spacers 102 disposedtherebetween in order to provide rigidity to rail 14, to prevent thecollapse or bending of the lower portions of sidewalls 50 and 52, and tokeep fastener 70 and spacers 102 together with rail 14 to prevent theirbecoming lost. The side walls 82 and 84 illustrated in FIG. 7 are shownas being generally hollow in the areas other than the previously notedholes formed therethrough. However, these portions of side walls 82 and84 may be formed as solid structures if desired. In any case, side walls82 and 84 are formed of rigid materials, as is blade 80. Blade 80 ismost typically formed of a metal such as a stainless steel or othermetal which is relatively resistant to corrosion and is sufficientlyhard to form a desirable ice skating blade.

In the exemplary embodiment, blade 80 is a substantially flat platehaving an annular configuration. More particularly, blade 80 is avertically oriented flat plate as shown in FIGS. 5 and 7 with right andleft opposed flat vertical sides 104 defining its width. Each blade 80is aligned along a common vertical plane P (FIGS. 2, 7) so that all fiveof blades 80 are in line as illustrated in FIG. 2. Thus, the respectiveleft and right sides 104 of each blade are respectively aligned withthose of the other blades 80. In the exemplary embodiment, blade 80 hasa circular outer perimeter 106 as viewed from the side (FIGS. 1, 4)which extends radially outwardly of the outer perimeters of sidewalls 82and 84. Outer perimeter of 106 is thus convexly curved as viewed fromthe side. As viewed from the front, (FIGS. 5-6) outer perimeter 106 isconcavely curved and intersects flat sides 104 at respective corners108. In the exemplary embodiment, perimeter 106 and the correspondingside 104 at corner 108 defines therebetween an acute angle although thismay be a right angle if outer perimeter 106 is horizontal as viewed fromthe front.

In the exemplary embodiment, each of right and left sidewalls 82 and 84is a generally dome shaped structure such that it has a greater widthadjacent its center than at or adjacent its outer perimeter. Sidewalls82 and 84 provide additional strength to blade 80 and thus serve asreinforcing structures. In addition, sidewalls 82 and 84 add sufficientthickness in order to minimize the wobbling which would otherwisetypically occur if only a relatively thin blade such as blade 80 wererotatably mounted on a rail such as rail 14. It will be appreciated thatice blade assemblies 16 may be replaced respectively with wheels toproduce an inline roller skate.

The present system also includes a ski-skate shown generally at 110 inFIG. 8. Ski-skate 110 utilizes boot 12 and mounting rail 14 for mountingthereon a mini-ski 112 utilizing a first embodiment of a mountingadapter which includes a primary adapter plate 114. In the exemplaryembodiment, mini-ski 112 is formed as an integral one piece membertypically formed of a rigid plastic. However, mini-ski 112 may be formedof other suitable rigid materials including wood, metal or the like andmay be formed in more than one piece. Ski-skate 110 is configured sothat the bottom of mini-ski 112 is suitable for engaging and skiing onsnow 113 in either a forward direction or a rearward direction.

With primary reference to FIGS. 8, 9 and 12, mini-ski 112 is describedin greater detail. Mini-ski 112 has a front 116, a rear end or back 118,a left side 120, a right side 122, a top 124 and a bottom 126. Mini-ski112 includes a short ski 128 and a mounting block 130 rigidly mounted onand extending upwardly from the central region of ski 128. Generally,ski 128 is a relatively thin blade or plate having a flat horizontalcentral segment 132 which is substantially rectangular as viewed frombelow, a front segment 134 which curves upwardly and forward from thefront end of central segment 132 to a terminal end or tip represented atfront 116, and a rear segment 136 which curves rearwardly and upwardlyfrom the rear end of central segment 132 to a terminal end or tiprepresented at back 118. More particularly, central segment 132 includesa front end 138 and a rear end 140 which is represented in FIG. 9 bylines wherein front and rear ends 138 and 140 define the front most andrear most ends of the flat horizontal portion of ski 128 from whichfront and rear segments 134 and 136 respectively curve upwardly. Frontend 138 thus also represents the rear end of front segment 134 whilerear end 140 also represents the front end of rear segment 136. Parallelfront and rear ends 138 and 140 along with sides or edges 120 and 122thus define the rectangular shape of central segment 132 as viewed frombelow. Sides or edges 120 and 122 are parallel to one another andperpendicular to ends 138 and 140. Edges 120 and 122 form part of anouter perimeter of the edge of ski 128 which includes a convexly curvedfront edge 142 and a convexly curved rear edge 144 as viewed from below.Front edge 142 extends along the forward portion of front segment 134and curves convexly and rearwardly respectively to the left and rightfrom front end 116. Rear edge 144 extends along the rear portion of rearsegment 136 and curves convexly forward respectively to the left andright from back end 118. Edges 120 and 122 define therebetween a normalwidth W2 which is the width of the widest portion of ski 128 andmini-ski 112.

Central segment 132 has flat horizontal parallel top and bottom surfaces146 and 148 defining therebetween a substantially constant thickness ofcentral segment 132. Front segment 134 has top and bottom surfaces 150and 152 which define therebetween a substantially constant thickness ofsegment 134 which is substantially the same as the thickness of centralsegment 132. Likewise, rear segment 136 has top and bottom surfaces 154and 156 which define therebetween a substantially constant thickness ofsegment 136 which is substantially the same as the thickness of centralsegment 132 and front segment 134. As viewed from the side, top surface150 curves concavely upward and forward from the front of top surface146 to front end 116. As viewed from the side, bottom surface 152 curvesconvexly upwardly and forward in a parallel fashion to top surface 150from the front of bottom surface 148 to front end 116. As viewed fromthe side, top surface 154 curves concavely upwardly and rearward fromthe rear of top surface 146 to rear end 118. As viewed from the side,bottom surface 156 curves convexly upwardly and rearward in a parallelfashion to top surface 154 from the rear of bottom surface 148 to rearend 118. In the exemplary embodiment, neither front segment 134 nor rearsegment 136 is bowed or curved from side to side. Thus, a vertical planedisposed perpendicular to edges 122 and 124 (and thus to the length ofthe mini-ski, the rail and the boot) and intersecting any portion offront segment 134 would produce a horizontal straight line intersectionrepresented at the dashed line 158A with either of top surface 150 orbottom surface 152. In the exemplary embodiment, any similar verticalplane cutting through any portion of rear segment 136 would likewiseproduce a horizontal straight line intersection 158B with either of topsurface 154 or bottom surface 156.

In the exemplary embodiment, width W2 is illustrated as being less thanwidth W1 although this may vary. Thus, the exemplary embodiment shows atedges 122 and 124 are respectively spaced inwardly of sides 35 and 33such that no portion of the mini-ski extends outwardly in eitherdirection beyond sides 33 and 35. However, ski 128 may extend as far asor beyond the edges of sides 33 and 35 depending on the specificconfiguration. Ski 128 typically does not extend more than about an inchbeyond either side 33 or 35. Typically width W2 is at least about 2.5inches and more typically at least 3.0 or 3.5 inches. Width W2 istypically no more than about 7 or 8 inches and is most typically in therange of about 3 to 5 or 6 inches.

Front and back 116 and 118 define therebetween a length L3 (FIG. 9) ofski 128 and mini-ski 112. In the exemplary embodiment, length L3 issomewhat less than length L1 although it may be the same as or somewhatlarger than length L1. In the exemplary embodiment, length L3 is on theorder of about 85 to 90 percent of length L1. Depending on the size ofthe boot and user of ski-skate 110, length L3 may vary. Length L3 istypically at least about 5 or 6 inches and more commonly at least 7 or 8inches. Length L3 is typically in the range of about 8 to 18 inches andmore typically about 8 to 15 or 16 inches. In the embodiment shown inFIG. 9, front 116 of ski 128 is spaced rearwardly of front end 22 ofboot 12 while rear end 118 of ski 128 is very slightly forward of rearend 24 of boot 12. As noted above, length L3 may be greater than lengthL1 and thus front end 116 may extend forward of front end 22, and rearend 118 may extend rearwardly of rear end 24. Typically, front and backends 116 and 118 will not extend more than about 1 to 3 inchesrespectively forward of and rearward of front and back ends 22 and 24 ofboot 12.

In the exemplary embodiment, mini-ski 112 is mounted on rail 14 with oneof fasteners 70 passing through the central holes of 72, 74 (FIG. 7) ofrail 14. While fastener 70 in the exemplary embodiment is the onlyfastener used to secure mini-ski 112 on rail 14 and thus mini-ski 112could potentially rotate about the shaft of fastener 70, mini-ski 112 isnonetheless non-rotatably mounted on rail 14. More particularly, the topof front segment 134 adjacent front end 116 abuts the lower surfaces ofleft and right sidewalls 50 and 52 of mounting rail 14 adjacent andrearwardly of front end 44 at respective points of contact Pc (FIGS. 8,9). More particularly, front segment 134 along convexly curved frontedge 142 thereof abuts the downwardly facing lower surfaces of thebottom fingers 64 of the front most triangular sections of 62 ofsidewalls 50 and 52. This contact between the front portion of ski 128and the front portion of rail 14 prevents upward rotation of the frontof ski 128 about fastener 70. Similarly, the rear portion of ski 128abuts the rear portion of rail 14 at points of contact Pc (FIGS. 8, 9)to prevent the upward rotation of the rear portion of ski 128 aboutfastener 70. More particularly, the convexly curved rear edge 144 ofrear segment 136 abuts the downward facing lower surface of therespective bottom fingers 64 of the rear most triangular sections 62 ofleft and right sidewalls 50 and 52 at said points of contact Pc.

Mounting block 130 is now described in greater detail with primaryreference to FIGS. 8, 12 and 13. Block 130 includes a centrallongitudinally extending vertical web 160 which is a substantially flatvertical section parallel to side edges 122 and 124. Web 160 is rigidlyconnected to and extends upwardly from top surface 146 of centralsegment 132 a relatively short distance on the order of about ½ to 1inch or so. Block 130 further includes a horizontal top flange 162rigidly secured to the top of web 160 and extending axially outwardlytherefrom to the left and right to form a T-shaped configuration withweb 160 as viewed from the front (FIG. 13). A front angled flange 164 isrigidly secured to the front of web 160 and the front of horizontalflange 162 and angles downwardly and forward therefrom to a rigidconnection to top surface 146. Similarly, a rear angled flange 166 isrigidly secured to the rear of web 160 and the rear of horizontal flange162 and angles downwardly and rearwardly therefrom to a rigid connectionwith top surface 146. A cylinder 168 is rigidly secured to web 160adjacent its top and center. Horizontal top flange 162 is rigidlyconnected to and extends forward and rearwardly from cylinder 168. Oneor more bushings 170 may be disposed within a through opening formed incylinder 168 whereby bushings 170 define a through hole 172 which iselongated axially. A lower central flange 174 is rigidly connected toand extends axially to the left and right from web 160 and verticallydownwardly from a rigid connection with cylinder 168 to a rigidconnection with top surface 146. As shown in FIG. 13, the shaft offastener 70 extends through holes 72 and 74 of mounting rail 14 as wellas hole 172 of cylinder 168 in order to secure mini-ski 112 on mountingrail 14. An additional bushing 176 may be received within hole 172 suchthat the shaft of fastener 70 extends through the through hole ofbushing 176 as well. Fastener 70 is tightened so that threaded segments76 and 74 threadedly engage one another and the enlarged head offastener 70 is received within the counterbore portion 172.

Referring now to FIGS. 12A and 13, a modified mini-ski 112A is nowdescribed. In FIG. 13, the portions of mini-ski 112A which are differentfrom mini-ski 112 are shown in dashed lines only. Mini-ski 112A includesthe same mounting block 130 and a somewhat modified ski 128A which ismodified primarily along a central segment 132A thereof which variessomewhat from central segment 132 of mini-ski 112. Ski 128A alsoincludes front and rear segments 134A and 136A which are altered to somedegree as well. The primary distinction between mini-ski 112A andmini-ski 112 is that mini-ski 112A is configured to mount thereon a pairof parallel longitudinally elongated vertically oriented blades 178which are axially spaced from one another and secured to the left andright sides 122 and 124 of ski 128A. To effect the mounting of blades178 on ski 128A, a plurality of longitudinally spaced screw receivingblocks 180 is formed along either side 122 and 124 extending upwardlyfrom the upper surface of blade 128A. Holes 182 are formed respectivelyin blocks 180 for receiving therein threaded portions of fastenerstypically in the form of a screw 184 or bolt (which may be secured by anut) in order to secure blades 178 on ski 128A. Blades 178 are generallyanalogous to ice skating blades which extend downwardly a short distancebeyond bottom surface 148 to terminal bottom edges 188. Each bladeincludes a plurality of axially spaced upwardly extending tabs havingholes 190 formed therethrough for receiving a portion of the respectivescrew 184. As shown in FIG. 12A, each of bottom edges 188 is convexlycurved as viewed from the side and extends downwardly to a lowest point192 which is typically substantially directly below of the longitudinalcenter of ski 128A and which is more or less directly below hole 172 ofcylinder 168 as viewed from the side. This convex curve of edges 188provides a smooth transition to the convex curves 152 and 156 as viewedfrom the side. Lowest point 192 is typically somewhere on the order ofabout % to 1 inch downwardly of bottom surface 148 although this mayvary somewhat. Blades 178 add to the ability of ski skate 110 to cutinto snow and ice during use.

With primary reference to FIGS. 11 and 13, primary adapter plate 114 isdescribed in greater detail. Plate 114 has axially extending front andrear ends 194 and 196 which are respectively substantially coincidentwith front and rear ends 29 and 31 of flat bottom 27 and thus definetherebetween the same length L2 in the exemplary embodiment. Plate 114has longitudinal left and right sides 198 and 200 defining therebetweena width W3 of plate 114 which in the exemplary embodiment is about thesame as width W2 although this may vary. Width W3 is large enough toprovide sufficient stability to the mounting of plate 114 on boot 12while preferably staying to a minimum which is normally less than widthW1 (FIGS. 3, 9) of boot 12 in order to minimize the amount of materialand weight added to the overall structure. Plate 114 has an uppersurface 202 which abuts bottom surface 27 when mounted on boot 12. Plate114 has a flat and horizontal bottom surface 204 which faces downwardlyand abuts the top of top wall 48 of rail 14 when rail 14 is mounted onplate 114. Plate 114 includes a base portion 206 which is substantiallyrectangular as viewed from below and also substantially rectangular andas viewed from the front. Plate 114 further includes a longitudinalridge 208 which is rigidly secured to and extends upwardly from baseportion 206 generally centered between left and right sides 198 and 200of base portion 206. More particularly, ridge 208 has a left edge 210spaced axially inwardly from left edge 198, and a right edge 212 spacedaxially inwardly from right edge 200. Left and right edges 210 and 212define therebetween a width W4 which is substantially less than that ofwidth W3, and in the exemplary embodiment is about half that of width W3although this may vary. As best seen in FIG. 13, groove 58 in the bottomof outer sole 26 of boot 12 has left and right longitudinal paralleledges 214 and 216 which define therebetween a width which issubstantially the same as width W4 although very slightly larger. Thus,ridge 208 typically fits snugly within groove 214 with the top surfaceof ridge 208 abutting the downwardly facing surface defining the top ofgroove 58, and with left and right edges 210 and 212 respectivelyclosely adjacent or abutting left and right edges 214 and 216.

Multiple mounting holes are formed through plate 114 which provide theability to mount multiple components of the invention to a suitableboot, board or the like. With primary reference to FIG. 11, the mostforward of these holes are left and right front most threaded throughholes 218 and 220 which are adjacent front end 194 of plate 114, axiallyspaced from one another and longitudinally aligned with one another. Inthe exemplary embodiment, left hole 218 intersects left edge 210 oflongitudinal ridge 208 so that about half of the hole extends upwardlyto top surface 202 of base portion 206 where the remainder of the holeextends upwardly to the top of ridge 208. Right hole 220 intersectsright edge 212 of ridge 208 in a similar fashion. Left and right holes218 and 220 are part of a four-hole set which also includes left andright forward threaded through holes 222 and 224 which are in the frontportion or half of plate 114 although they are spaced rearwardly fromholes 218 and 220. Left and right holes 222 and 224 are axially spacedfrom one another, longitudinally aligned with one another, and axiallyaligned respectively with left and right holes 218 and 220 so that leftand right holes 222 and 224 also respectively intersect left and rightedges 210 and 212 of ridge 208.

Another four-hole set in the rear portion of plate 114 includes left andright rear most threaded through holes 226 and 228 which are adjacentrear end 196, and left and right rearward threaded through holes 230 and232 which are spaced forward of through holes 226 and 228. These fourholes define the corners of a rectangle, as do the four holes 218, 220,222 and 224 such that the holes of this rear four-hole set are spaced ina pattern identical to the holes in the front four-hole set. Rear mostholes 226 and 228 are longitudinally aligned with one another andaxially spaced with one another to respectively intersect edges 210 and212 as previously described with the front four-hole set. Likewise,holes 230 and 232 are longitudinally aligned with one another andaxially aligned respectively with holes 226 and 228 to respectivelyintersect edges 210 and 212. Thus, left holes 218, 222, 226 and 230 aresubstantially collinear, as are right holes 220, 224, 228 and 232.

A pair of front central threaded through holes 234A and 234B are alsoformed in the front half of plate 114 with hole 234B spaced rearwardlyof hole 234A and axially aligned therewith. Holes 234A and B are in theexemplary embodiment axially centered between left and right edges 198and 200 of plate 114 and also axially centered between left and rightedges 210 and 212 of ridge 208. Thus, each of holes 234 is similarlyaxially centered between holes 218 and 220 or between left and rightholes 222 and 224. In the exemplary embodiment, holes 234 are spacedrearwardly from left and right holes 218 and 220, and forward of leftand right holes 222 and 224. Each of holes 234 extends from bottomsurface 204 of plate 114 to the top surface of ridge 208.

In the rear half of plate 114, a pair of rear central threaded throughholes 236A and B are also formed extending from bottom 204 to the top ofridge 208. Rear central holes 236A and B are analogous to front centralholes 234A and B in that they are spaced from one another the samedistance, are axially centered between left and right edges 198 and 200,as well as axially centered between left and right edges 210 and 212.Hole 236B is spaced rearwardly of hole 236A. Holes 236A and B are spacedrearwardly of left and right holes 230 and 232, and forward of left andright holes 226 and 228. A non-threaded counterbore hole 238 is formedin the front portion of plate 114 midway and directly between frontcentered holes 234A and B. Likewise, a non-threaded counterbore hole 240is formed midway and directly between rear central holes 236A and B.

A front threaded fastener 242 extends through counterbore hole 238 withits enlarged head 246 in the counterbore portion of hole 238 and itsthreaded shaft in the smaller portion of hole 238. Fastener 242 extendsinto and is threadedly engaged in the internally threaded hole (notshown) in the bottom of boot 12. Likewise, a rear threaded fastener 244is disposed in counterbore hole 240 with its enlarged head 246 in thecounterbore portion thereof and its threaded shaft in the smallerportion of hole 240 with the threaded shaft also threadedly engaging aninternally threaded hole 247 (FIG. 13) formed in the bottom of boot 12.Heads 246 of fasteners 242 and 244 are either flush with bottom surface204 or recessed in the counterbore holes 238 and 240 respectively.Fasteners 242 and 244 thus removably secure plate 114 to the bottom ofboot 12.

Rail 14 is likewise removably secured to the bottom of plate 114 by apair of front threaded fasteners 248 (FIG. 10) and a pair of rearthreaded fasteners 250. Front fasteners 248 extend through a respectivepair of axially elongated holes 60 formed in top wall 48 of rail 14 andare respectively threaded into front central threaded holes 234A and B.Likewise, rear threaded fasteners 250 extend respectively through a rearpair of slots or openings 60 in rail 14 and threadedly engage the rearcentral threaded holes 236A and B. Fasteners 248 and 250 thus removablymount rail 14 on the bottom of plate 114 with the top of top wall 48 ofrail 14 abutting the bottom 204 of plate 114. Thus, plate 114 is rigidlysecured to the bottom of boot 12, rail 14 is rigidly secured to thebottom of plate 114, and mini-ski 112 is rigidly secured to the bottomof rail 14 so that mini-ski 112 is thus rigidly secured to the bottom ofboot 12. Each of the major components of ski-skate 110 are thusremovably and rigidly mounted on one another. This rigid mountingprovides appropriate stability to the ski-skate while also allowing theremovability of components either for replacement when needed or forinterchanging with other components as described in greater detailthroughout the present application.

In order to utilize boot 12 and rail 14 of ice skate 10 to reconfigureas the ski-skate 110, one of the processes is to unthread fasteners 70and remove them from the holes and rail 14 so that each of ice bladeassemblies 16 may be removed from rail 14. Once ice blade assemblies 16are removed, fasteners 70 can be reinserted through the holes in rail 14and through the holes in the respective spacers 102 and tightened onrail 14. Of course the central fastener 70 is also inserted through thehole 172 in mounting block 130 of mini-ski 112 in order to securemini-ski 112 on bottom of rail 14. It is further noted that althoughmini-ski 110 uses adapter plate 114 for mounting rail 14 and mini-ski112 on the bottom of boot 12, adapter plate 114 may be eliminated suchthat rail 14 is secured directly to the bottom of boot 12. Similarly,ice skate 10 may be configured to use mounting plate 114 such that plate114 is secured to the bottom of boot 12 and rail 14 is secured to thebottom of plate 114 with ice blade assemblies 16 mounted thereon.

Referring now to FIG. 14, the system of the present invention furtherincludes a ski-skate 252 which includes a pair of in-line mini-skis 112.Ski-skate 252 has a similar configuration to ski-skate 110 inasmuch asit includes boot 12, mounting plate 114, mounting rail 14 and theassociated fasteners for mounting these three components to one another,along with two mini-skis 112 instead of a single mini-ski. Likeski-skate 110, ski-skate 252 is configured for engaging and skiing onsnow 113 (FIG. 8) in either a forward or rearward direction. FIG. 14shows that the two in-line mini-skis 112 are mounted on rail 14respectively at the front most and rear most fasteners 70. Thereconfiguration of the system from ski skate 110 in order to form skiskate 252 thus simply would involve the unthreading and removal of thecentral fastener 70 along with the front most and rear most fasteners 70along with the corresponding spacers so that the single mini-ski 112could be removed from its central location and the rail would be readyfor the reconfiguration. More particularly, the mini-ski 112 of skiskate 110 could then be moved either to the foremost or rearmostposition shown in FIG. 14 while an additional mini-ski 112 would bepositioned at the other of the front most and rear most positions andthen secured by the appropriate front most and rear most fastener 70 andcorresponding spacers 102 while the central fastener 70 andcorresponding spacer 102 would be remounted as well to produce the skiskate 250 with two mini-skis.

As can be easily discerned from FIG. 14, each of the mini-skis 112 isrotatably mounted on the respective fastener and spacer to rotate aboutrespective parallel horizontal axes which extend in the axial directionof ski skate 252. The rotational movement of the front and rearmini-skis is shown respectively at arrows A and B with alternatepositions shown in dot dash lines. The degree of rotation of eachmini-ski 112 is limited in both directions. For example, the upwardrotational movement of rear end 118 of the front mini-ski 112 is limitedby contact with the bottom of rail 14 at points of contact Pc analogousto those noted with reference to ski skate 110. The bottom of rail 14 atpoints Pc thus serve as a stop to the upper rotational movement of rearend 118 of the front mini-ski 112. More particularly, convexly curvededge 144 of the front mini-ski 112 contacts the bottom of rail 14adjacent and forward of the central fastener 70, which serves as thelongitudinal center or midpoint of rail 14. Specifically, the rear edge144 contacts the bottom surfaces of the bottom fingers 64 of thetriangular section 62 which is the second triangular section 62 ascounted from the front of rail 14. The rear end 118 of the frontmini-ski 112 is thus rotatable downwardly and forward from this stopposition while front end 116 rotates upwardly and rearwardly from thisposition. Another stop may be provided on rail 14 to limit the upwardrotation of front end 116 of the front mini-ski 112, which isrepresented by the dot dash lines in FIG. 14. However, even if such astop is not mounted on rail 14, the upward and rearward rotation offront end 116 of the front mini-ski 112 will be limited by contact withthe front end 22 of boot 12 or another structure generally in this area.In the exemplary embodiment, mini-skis 112 rotate freely about theirrespective axes. However, the front and rear mini-skis may be springbiased to the home position shown in solid lines in FIG. 14 withrespective springs which nonetheless allow rotation about the respectiveaxes by sufficient force to overcome the respective spring bias.

The rotational movement of the rear mini-ski 112 is similarly limited ineither direction. The upward rotational movement of the front end 116 ofthe rear mini-ski 112 is limited by contact with the bottom of rail 14at points of contact Pc which are adjacent and rearward of the centralfastener 70 or longitudinal center line of rail 14. In particular, theconvexly curved front edge 142 of the rear mini-ski 112 abuts the bottomof the bottom fingers 64 of the triangular section 62 which is the thirdfrom the front of rail 14. The front end 116 of the rear mini-ski 112can thus rotate downwardly and rearwardly from this stop or homeposition of the rear mini-ski 112. An additional stop may be positionedadjacent the rear of rail 14 in order to limit the upward and forwardmovement of rear end 118 of the rear mini-ski 112 at the position shownin dot dash lines. Otherwise, the rear mini-ski 112 will be limited inits rotation in this direction by the contact of the rear portion of therear mini-ski 112 with the rear 24 of mini-ski 112 or a similarstructure.

Although the front and rear mini-skis 112 shown in FIG. 14 are pivotallymounted as described above in the exemplary embodiment, either one orboth of the mini-skis 112 may be secured in a fixed position relative toboot 12, mounting rail 14 and adapter plate 114. In one preferredembodiment, the rear mini-ski 112 is fixed relative to the boot,mounting rail and adapter plate while the front mini-ski 112 ispivotally mounted as described above.

The system of the present invention further includes a ski skate 254having four mini-skis mounted in a “quad” configuration with two in-lineleft mini-skis and two in-line right mini-skis. These four mini-skis arereferred to generally at 256 and more particularly include a right frontmini-ski 256RF, a right rear mini-ski 256RR, a left front mini-ski256LF, and a left rear mini-ski 256LR. Like ski-skates 110 and 252,ski-skate 254 is configured so that the bottom of mini-skis 256 aresuited to engage and ski upon snow 113 (FIG. 8) in the forward orrearward directions. Left and right front mini-skis 256LF and 256RF aremounted on boot 12 via a front mount or truck 258F, which is secured tothe bottom of plate 114 adjacent its front end 194. Likewise, rear leftand right mini-skis 256LR and 256RR are mounted on boot 12 via a reartruck 258R which is rigidly secured to the bottom of plate 114 adjacentits rear end 196. Trucks 258F and 258R have the same configurationalthough they are mounted in reversed orientations from one another.Each of mini-skis 256 have the same configuration, which is similar tomini-skis 112 except that mini-skis 256 are shorter than mini-skis 112.Thus, each mini-ski 256 includes mounting block 130 rigidly secured toand extending upwardly from the top of a short ski 260 which is similarto but shorter than ski 128.

Due to the similarity, the various components, surfaces and so forth ofski 260 are marked with similar numbers as those of ski 128. Moreparticularly, these various analogous components of ski 260 are markedwith the same numbers followed by the letter “a”. Thus, ski 260 has afront end 116 a, a back end 118 a, left and right sides 120 a and 122 a,top and bottom 124 a and 126 a, a central segment 132 a, an upwardlycurving front segment 134 a, and an upwardly curving rear segment 136 a.Central segment 132 a has front and rear ends 138 a and 140 a definingtherebetween a length which is shorter than that of segment 132 of ski128. Ski 260 further includes convexly curved front and rear edges 142 aand 144 a. Central segment 132 a has flat top and bottom surfaces whichare horizontal in the home position shown in solid lines in FIG. 15.Front segment 134 a has a concavely curving top surface 150 a and aconvexly curving surface 152 a as viewed from the side. Rear segment 136a has a concavely curved top surface 154 a and a convexly curved surface156 a.

The overall shapes of segments 132 a, 134 a and 136 a are analogous tothose of segments 132, 134 and 136 of ski 128 with a few variations. Asnoted above, central segment 132 a is shorter than its counter partcentral segment 132. Likewise, front segment 134 a and rear segment 136a are shorter than their counter parts 134 and 136, and may curveupwardly at somewhat of a sharper angle. Otherwise, the overallconfiguration is the same as that of ski 128. Front and rear ends 116 aand 118 a define therebetween a length L4 which is typically in therange of about 4 to 9 inches and more typically in the range of about 4or 5 inches to 6, 7 or 8 inches. Left and right sides 120 a and 122 adefine therebetween a width W5 which is typically in the range of about2 to 4 inches although this may vary somewhat. As shown in FIG. 16, thefour skis 256 together form a generally rectangular footprint. Leftfront and rear mini-ski 256LF and 256LR are aligned in an in-linefashion such that the respective left sides 120 a of said mini-skis arealigned with one another and the respective right sides 122 a arealigned with one another. This is likewise true of the right front andright rear skis 256RF and 256RR. FIG. 16 also shows that the front ends116 a of the two front skis 256LF and 256RF are longitudinally alignedwith one another and thus fall within a common vertical axiallyextending plane P3 which is perpendicular to the length of boot 12 andthe ski skate in general as well as the various parallel sides of theskis and mounting plate. Plane P3 and the associated front ends 116 aare adjacent and forward of front end 22 of boot 12. The rear ends 118 aof the two front skis 256LF and 256RF are likewise longitudinallyaligned and fall within a plane P4 which is parallel to plane P3. Thefront ends 116 a of rear two skis 256LR and 256RR are alsolongitudinally aligned and fall within a plane P5 which is parallel toplanes P3 and P4. The rear ends 118 a of the rear skis 256LR and 256RRlikewise are longitudinally aligned and fall within a vertical plane P6which is parallel to planes P3-P5. Planes P4 and P5 are spaced a shortdistance apart such that the rear ends 118 a of the front two mini-skisand the front end 116 a of the rear mini-skis have sufficient clearancefrom one another so that they do not contact one another when they arein their home position or during pivotal movement thereof. Planes P4 andP5 are adjacent the longitudinal center of boot 12.

Each of mini-skis 256 is axially offset from the axial center of boot12. More particularly, the left mini-skis LF and 256LR are bisected by avertical plane P7 which extends longitudinally perpendicular to planesP3-P6 and thus parallel to the left and right sides of the skis and themounting plate. Plane P7 is thus midway between left and right sides 120a and 122 a of the respective left mini-ski 256LF and 256LR. Likewise,the right mini-skis 256RF and 256RR are bisected by a verticallongitudinal plane P8 which is parallel to plane P7 and is centeredbetween the left and right sides 120 a and 122 a of said right skis256RF and 256RR. In the exemplary embodiment, plane P7 is adjacent leftside 33 of boot 12 and spaced axially outwardly to the left thereof.Likewise, P8 is adjacent and spaced axially outward to the right ofright side 35 of boot 12. Planes P7 and P8 may vary in their axialpositions although they will generally respectively be adjacent left andright sides 33 and 35 and typically axially outwardly thereof. However,planes P7 and P8 may be disposed axially inwardly of left and rightsides 33 and 35 respectively depending on the specific configuration ofthe mini-skis and mounting structure. FIG. 16 also shows that the rightsides 122A of the left skis 256LF and 256LR are generally axiallyaligned with left side 33 although this may vary as well. Similarly, theleft sides 120 a of right skis 256RF and 256RR are generally adjacentright side 35 and axially inwardly thereof or to the left thereof in theexemplary embodiment.

The front two mini-skis 256LF and 256RF are rotatably mounted about ahorizontal axis X6 which extends axially and lies within a verticalplane P9 which is parallel to planes P3-P6. Similarly, the rearmini-skis 256LR and 256RR are rotatably mounted about a horizontal axisX7 which lies within a vertical plane P10 which is parallel to planesP3-P6 and P9. The rotational movement of front skis 256LF and 256RF isindicated at arrow C in FIG. 15, while the corresponding rotation of therear mini-skis 256LR and 256RR is indicated at arrow D. In the exemplaryembodiment, plane P9 is longitudinally midway between planes P3 and P4while plane P10 is longitudinally midway between planes P5 and P6. Thefront two mini-skis 256 are bilaterally symmetrical about plane P9 whilethe rear two mini-skis 256 are bilaterally symmetrical about plane P10when in the home position. In the exemplary embodiment, the left skis256 are bilaterally symmetrical about plane P7 and the right skis 256are bilaterally symmetrical about plane P8.

With continued reference to FIGS. 15-17, trucks 258 are now described ingreater detail. Each truck includes an upper block 262 which is rigidlysecured to the bottom of plate 114 and extends downwardly therefrom.Each truck further includes an axle carriage 264 pivotally mounted onupper block 262 and carrying left and right axles 266L and 266R whichrespectively extend outwardly to the left and right from carriage 264.Each axle 266 extends through hole 172 of mounting block 130 of therespective mini-ski 256. The axle may also extend through one or morebushings 268 disposed in hole 172. The mini-ski 256 and bushings aretypically secured in place with a nut 270 threadedly engaging a threadedportion of axle 266 and lock washer 272 or the like. Each axle carriage264 is pivotally mounted on upper block 262 on a pivot 274 which istypically in the form of a threaded fastener which also secures carriage264 to block 262. As shown in FIG. 15, the axle carriage 264 of thefront truck 258F is mounted to pivot about an axis X8 which passesthrough pivot 274 and angles upwardly and forward therefromsubstantially along the axial center line of plate 114 and groove 58.Similarly, the axle carriage 264 of the rear truck 258R is pivotableabout an axis X9 which passes through the associated pivot 274 andangles upwardly and rearwardly therefrom also along the axial centerline of plate 114 and groove 58. Axes X8 and X9 typically lie withinplane P2.

Left and right coil springs 276L and 276R are mounted respectively onthe left and right of respective truck 258 in order to resist thepivotal movement about axes X8 and X9 to some degree and provide someshock absorption during such pivotal movement. More particularly, leftspring 276L angles downwardly, forward and to the left from an upperconnection with upper block 262 to a lower connection with axle carriage264 spaced to the left of central plane P2. Likewise, spring 276R anglesdownwardly, forward and outwardly to the right from an upper connectionalong the right half of corresponding truck 258 to a lower connectionwith axle carriage 264 which is axially outward to the right of theupper connection. Thus, as shown in FIG. 17, the pivotal movement ofcarriage 264 to move left axle 266L upward is resisted with some shockabsorbency by left spring 276L. Likewise, the pivotal movement ofcarriage 264 to move right axle 266R upwardly is resisted by spring 276Rwhich also provides some shock absorbent characteristics. Spring 276Land 276R thus bias the respective left and right sides of axle carriage264 downwardly so that in combination, the two springs bias carriage 264to a home position illustrated in solid lines in FIG. 17 so that axle266L and 266R are substantially horizontal, as is axis X6. FIG. 17 alsoillustrates the pivotal movement of carriage 264 and mini-skis 256 indot dash lines. FIG. 17 also illustrates that when left axle 266L ispivoted upwardly relative to upper block 262, the corresponding leftmini-ski 256 is pivotable about an axis X6 a which angles upwardly tothe left relative to axis X6. Similarly, when right axle 266R pivotsupwardly, the corresponding right mini-ski 256 is pivotable about anaxis X6 b which angles upwardly and to the right relative to axis X6.

Front truck 258F is rigidly secured to the bottom of plate 114 adjacentits front end 194 by four front screws 278F which extend respectivelythrough holes 279 (FIG. 17) and respectively threadedly engage the fourthreaded holes 218, 220, 222 and 224 (FIG. 11) formed in plate 114. Therear truck 258R is similarly secured to plate 114 with rear screws 278R.Rear screws 278R likewise respectively threadedly engage threaded holes226, 228, 230 and 232 which are also shown in FIG. 11. Trucks 258 arethus mounted on the bottom of plate 114, which is mounted to the bottomof boot 12 as previously described with reference to ski skate 110. Theconfiguration of ski skate 254 can thus be arrived at, for example, byreconfiguring one of ski skates 110 and 252 by removing the fastenerssecuring rail 14 to the bottom of mounting plate 114 and securing trucks258 at the bottom of mounting plate as described.

The present system also allows for the configuration of a heavy dutyroller skate 280 (FIG. 18). More particularly, roller skate 280 includesa ski boot 282, front and rear ski bindings 284 and 286 and a modifiedmounting adapter 288 which includes mounting plate 114 and is used forsecuring front and rear trucks 258F and 258R with four wheels 290rotatably mounted on the respective axles of said trucks in a “quad”configuration. As shown in FIG. 18, ski boot 282 has a top which is notillustrated, a bottom 292, a toe 294 defining the front of the upper ofthe boot, a heel 296 defining the rear of the upper of the boot, a footreceiving portion 300 extending rearwardly from toe 294 to heel 296 andan ankle receiving portion 302 extending upwardly from portion 300adjacent and forward of heel 296. A substantial portion of the upper ofthe boot is formed of a substantially rigid material 304 as known in theart to provide substantial stability to a snow skier's foot. The uppermay also include flexible breathable material 306 and typically includessecuring straps 308A-C wherein straps 308A and 308B extend over the topof the foot portion and strap 308C extends around the ankle portion 302.Straps 308 have tightening and loosening mechanisms for respectivelytightening and loosening the straps. Outer sole 298 defines bottom 292and includes a front most section 310 which projects forward of toe 294therebelow, and a rearmost section 312 which projects rearwardly of heel296 therebelow. A latch-receiving notch 314 is formed in rearmostsection 312 spaced upwardly from bottom 292 and opening rearwardly.

Front binding 284 is a rigid structure which defines a rearwardlyopening toe notch 316 formed above a base 318, below a top arm 320 andbetween a right arm 322 and a left arm (not shown). Toe notch 316receives therein front most section 310 of outer sole 298 when ski boot282 is mounted on the ski bindings. The bottom 292 of outer sole 298adjacent front most section 310 is seated on the top surface of base318, with top arm 320 extending over and engaging the upper surface offront most section 310, right arm 322 extending to the right of andengaging the right side of front most section 310, and the left arm (notshown) similarly extending to the left of and engaging the left side offront most portion 310.

Rear ski binding 286 includes a base 324 including a front portion 326and a rear portion 328 connected to and extending rearwardly from frontportion 326. A handle-mounting portion 330 is secured to and extendsupwardly from rear portion 328 for rotatably mounting thereon a quickrelease handle 322 which is pivotable as indicated at arrow E between alowered secured position and a raised unsecured position. A latch member334 is operatively connected to quick release handle 332 and defines aheel-receiving cavity 336 bounded by a top insert or arm 338 whichextends over cavity 336, a right arm 340 which extends to the right ofcavity 336 and a left arm (not shown) which extends to the left ofcavity 336. Top arm 338 is inserted into rear notch 314 of boot 12 andrearmost portion 310 is received in cavity 336 with the left and rightarms respectively on the left and right sides thereof and in engagementtherewith when in the secured position of handle 332 in order to secureski boot 282 on front and rear bindings 284 and 286. The pivotablemovement of quick release handle 332 upwardly to its unsecured positioncauses latch member 334 to release its securing engagement with the rearof boot 12 so that boot 12 may be released from bindings 284 and 286.

As previously noted, front and rear bindings 284 and 286 are secured tothe top of modified mounting adapter 288, which is now described ingreater detail with primary reference to FIGS. 19-24. Adapter 288includes plate 114, a front upper plate 342 which is removably mountedatop and adjacent the front of plate 114, and a rear upper plate 344which is removably mounted atop plate 114 adjacent its rear end. Frontupper plate 342 has front and rear ends 346 and 348 definingtherebetween a length L5 (FIG. 22) which is substantially less thanlength L2 (FIG. 11) of plate 114. In the exemplary embodiment, length L5is generally about half that of length L2 although this may vary. Plate342 has left and right sides 350 and 352 which define therebetween awidth W3, which is thus in the exemplary embodiment the same as that ofplate 114. Plate 342 has flat horizontal top and bottom surfaces 354 and356. A longitudinal groove 358 is formed in the bottom of plate 342extending upwardly from bottom surface 356 centrally between left andright sides 350 and 352. More particularly, groove 358 is bounded byleft and right edges 360 and 362 which are axially spaced from oneanother and extend upwardly from bottom surface 356 to a horizontalceiling 364. Groove 358 extends the full length of plate 342 from frontend 346 to rear end 348. Left and right edges 360 and 362 definetherebetween a width W6 (FIG. 23) of groove 358 which is only slightlylarger than width W4 (FIG. 20) of ridge 208 of plate 114. Ridge 208 isthus inserted into groove 358 when plate 342 is mounted atop plate 114such that left and right edges 210 and 212 of ridge 208 are abutting orclosely adjacent left and right edges 360 and 362.

A set of six longitudinally spaced and longitudinally aligned centralmounting holes 366A-F are formed in plate 342 extending from top surface354 to ceiling 364. Holes 366 are non-threaded and countersunk in theexemplary embodiment. Holes 366A-F are evenly axially spaced such thateach adjacent pair of said holes 366 defines therebetween the samedistance. In addition, the spacing between each adjacent pair of holes366 is substantially the same as that defined between central threadedholes 234A and 234B (FIG. 20) of plate 114 so that an adjacent pair ofholes 366 may be aligned respectively with holes 234A and 234B toreceive therethrough respective bolts or screws 370 which threadedlyengage holes 234A and 234B respectively in order to secure front upperplate 342 atop the front of primary plate 114. FIG. 19 shows two screwsrespectively received through holes 366E and 366F. However, any adjacentpair of holes 366 may be aligned with holes 234A and 234B to receivetherethrough the pair of screws 370 to mount plate 342 on plate 114. Itwill be evident that this allows the longitudinal position of plate 342relative to plate 114 to be adjusted depending upon which holes 366 arealigned with 234A and 234B. Plate 342 may thus be positioned in variouslongitudinally spaced positions relative to plate 114 in order to alterthe overall length of adapter 288. Four threaded through holes 368 arealso formed in front upper plate 342 with a pair of the holes 368adjacent front end 346 and another pair of the holes 368 spacedrearwardly thereof such that the four holes 368 define the corners of asquare or rectangle as viewed from above. The left pair of holes 368 arelongitudinally aligned and intersect left edge 360 of groove 358 suchthat threaded hole 368 extends downwardly to ceiling 364 with about halfof hole 368 continuing on downwardly to bottom surface 356. The rightholes 368 are likewise formed to intersect right edge 362 of groove 358.

Rear upper plate 344 is very similar to front upper plate 342. Likeplate 342, plate 344 is a flat horizontal plate which is rectangular asviewed from above. Rear plate 344 has front and rear ends 372 and 374defining therebetween a length L5 (FIG. 21), which is thus the same asthat of plate 342. Plate 344 has also left and right sides 376 and 378defining therebetween a width W3 which is thus also the same as plate342 and plate 114. However, the length and width of plates 342 and 344do not necessarily need to be the same. Plate 344 has flat horizontaltop and bottom surfaces 380 and 382. A longitudinal groove 384 likegroove 364 is formed in the bottom of plate 344 and extends upwardlyfrom bottom surface 382, and extends the full length of plate 344 fromthe front end 372 to rear end 374. More particularly, left and rightedges 386 and 388 extend upwardly from bottom surface 382 to a flathorizontal ceiling 390 such that left and right edges 386 and 388 andceiling 390 bound groove 384, and left and right edges 386 and 388define therebetween width W6 (FIG. 20), which is thus the same as thatillustrated for groove 358 in FIG. 23. Ridge 208 of plate 114 is thusreceived within groove 384 in the same manner as it is in groove 358.

Six central mounting holes 392A-F are formed in plate 344 extending fromtop surface 380 to ceiling 390 midway between left and right sides 376and 378. Holes 392 are collinear and longitudinally aligned in the samemanner as holes 366, and thus are also evenly spaced from one another bythe same longitudinal distance such that each adjacent pair of holes 392may be aligned respectively with threaded holes 236A and 236B (FIG. 20)in plate 114. Thus, another set of screws 370 can be received through anadjacent pair of holes 392 to threadedly engage holes 236A and 236Brespectively to secure rear plate 344 atop the rear portion of bottomplate 114. As shown in FIG. 19, the heads of screws 370 are received inthe countersunk portions of holes 366E, 366F, 392A and 392B so that thetop of the heads of screws 370 is flush with or below top surfaces 354of plate 342 and 380 of plate 344. Four threaded holes 394 are alsoformed in plate 344 extending from top surface 380 to ceiling 390. Thefront pair of holes 394 are axially aligned with one another as are therear pair of holes 394. The left pair of holes 394 are longitudinallyaligned with one another as are the right pair of holes 394. The leftand right sets of holes 394 are closer together than are the left andright sets of holes 368 in plate 342, and thus do not intersect edges386 and 388 like their counterpart holes 368 do. Other than the specificpositioning of holes 368 in plate 342 and the specific positioning ofholes 394 in plate 344, plates 342 and 344 are substantially identicalin the exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 25 illustrates the mounting of adapter 288 on the bottom of the skibindings 284 and 286. More particularly, holes 396 are formed in thefront binding 284 as illustrated in FIG. 25. Holes 396 are also formedin the rear binding although not shown for brevity. Screws 398 arereceived respectively from above through holes 396 and threadedly engageholes 368 respectively in plate 342 to removably and rigidly securefront binding 284 to front upper plate 342. Additional screws 398 arelikewise received through like holes in rear binding 286 and the holes394 in plate 344 to secure rear binding 286 to rear upper plate 344 inthe same manner. Thus, the upper block 262 of front truck 258F isrigidly secured to plate 114, which is rigidly secured to front upperplate 342, which is in turn rigidly secured to front binding 284. Thissame type of rigid connection exists between the upper block 262 of reartruck 258R, plate 114, rear upper plate 344, and rear binder 286.

FIG. 25 also illustrates the mounting of wheels 290 on trucks 258.Although any suitable type of wheels may be used, the wheels 290 in theexemplary embodiment are generally oversized wheels within the rollerskating field and are typically for use on steep outdoor pavement forskating at relatively high rates of speed. Wheels 290 include a ruggedrim 400, a rubber, elastomeric or suitable plastic wheel 401circumscribing and secured to rim 400, and suitable bearings such thateach wheel 290 is rotatably mounted via bearings 402 on the respectiveaxle 266 and secured thereon by a respective nut 270 or the like. Rollerskate 280 can thus be configured using many of the parts of the systempreviously discussed such as trucks 258 and plate 114 by mounting plate114 on upper plates 342 and 344, mounting upper plates 342 and 344 onthe front and rear ski bindings, and mounting wheels on trucks 258.

Referring now to FIG. 26, the system of the present invention furtherincludes a ski skate 404 which utilizes ski boot 282, front and rear skibindings 284 and 286, mounting adapter 288, front and rear trucks 258Fand 258R and four mini-skis 256 which are mounted on trucks 258F and258R in the same manner as discussed with the quad ski skate 254 inFIGS. 15-17. Like the previous embodiments of ski-skates describedherein, ski-skate 404 is configured so that the bottoms of mini-skis 256engage and ski on snow 113 (FIG. 8) in the forward or rearwarddirections. The system thus allows for the reconfiguration between theroller skate 280 and ski skate 404 simply by removing wheels 290 andreplacing them with ski skates 256 or vice versa. Ski skate 404 is notdiscussed in greater detail inasmuch as all of its components and theiroperation have been discussed with reference to the previousembodiments.

The system of the present invention also includes a ski board 410 whichincludes a standard skate board 412 with rail 14 mounted on the bottomof board 412 and extending downwardly therefrom, front and rearmini-skis 112 rotatably mounted respectively about axes X1 and X5 in thesame manner as described with reference to ski skate 252 (FIG. 14), andleft and right blade assemblies 414 and 416 secured to and extendingdownwardly from board 412 on opposite sides of rail 14 and mini skis112. Board 412 is a standard skate board having front and rear ends 418and 420 defining therebetween a length L6 which is typically 18 to 36inches and more typically 24 to 30 or 36 inches. Board 412 has left andright sides 422 and 424 defining therebetween a width W7 (FIG. 30) whichis substantially wider than width W2 of short ski 128 of mini-ski 112.In the exemplary embodiment, width W7 is about three times that of widthW2 although this may vary substantially. Board 412 has top and bottomsurfaces 426 and 428 which are generally horizontal along most of thelength of board 412. Board 412 includes a substantially flat horizontalcentral section 430, a front section 432 which curves upwardly from thefront of central section 430 to front end 418, and a rear section 434which curves upwardly from the back of central section 430 to rear end420, much in the way that the various segments of ski 128 does. A tetherring 436 is secured to board 412 adjacent front end 418 and extendsupwardly therefrom and is configured for receiving therethrough atether, rope or the like (not shown) so that the rider of ski board 410can hold on to the tether or rope if desired. As viewed from above orbelow (FIG. 28), board 412 has a convexly curved front end 438 and aconvexly curved rear end 440. Several central counterbore holes 442(FIG. 30) are formed midway between left and right sides 422 and 424 ofboard 412 extending from top surface 426 to bottom surface 428.Counterbore holes 442 include a set of two front holes adjacent oneanother and axially offset from one another and the axial center ofboard 412. Similarly, holes 442 include a rear set of two holes whichare likewise offset. Holes 442 align respectively with the fourelongated openings 60 (FIG. 28) formed in top wall 48 of rail 14. Fourthreaded fasteners in the form of bolts 443 extend through respectiveholes 442 and aligned holes 60 and are threaded engaged by respectivenuts 445 to secure rail 14 to the bottom 428 of board 412 so thatmini-skis 112 are rotatably secured to board 412 via their pivotalmounting on rail 14. A set of four left holes 444 is also formed inboard 412 adjacent left side 422 and extending upwardly from bottomsurface 428. Likewise, a set of four right holes 446 are formed in board412 adjacent right side 424 extending upwardly from bottom surface 428.Left holes 444 are longitudinally aligned and spaced from one another.Right holes 446 are likewise longitudinally aligned and spaced from oneanother.

Each of left and right blade assemblies 414 and 416 includes a mountingangle 448 comprising a horizontal leg 450 and a vertical leg 452 securedto one edge of leg 450 and extending vertically downwardly therefrom.Each angle 448 is longitudinally elongated and parallel to the other andsides 422 and 424. Four holes 454 are formed in horizontal leg 450 andaligned with the respective holes 444 for the left angle and holes 454for the right angle. Respective screws 456 are thus received throughholes 454 and screwed into holes 444 and 446 in order to removably andrigidly secure respective blade assemblies 414 and 416 on the bottom ofboard 412. In the exemplary embodiment, each blade assembly includes apair of vertically oriented and longitudinally elongated blades 458secured to opposed sides of vertical leg 452 by plurality of fastenersshown here as rivets 460 although other fasteners or fasteningmechanisms may be used. Each blade 458 has vertical opposed sides and abottom edge 462 which is generally horizontal and has a slightly convexcurve as viewed from the side whereby edge 462 has a lower most point464 which is typically aligned below the longitudinal center of board412. Lower most point 464 is spaced downward a vertical distance D1 frombottom surface 428. Bottom surface 148 of the central segment ofmini-ski 112 is spaced downwardly from bottom surface 428 a verticaldistance D2 which is substantially greater than distance D1, wherebybottom surface 148 is spaced downwardly from lower most point 464 avertical distance D3 which in the exemplary embodiment is a littlegreater than distance D1.

Ski board 410 is thus configured so that the bottom of mini-ski 112engages and skis along snow 113 (FIG. 8) in either the forward orrearward direction as the user stands on top surface 426 of board 412.As previously noted, the user may attach a tether to ring 436 in orderto provide greater stability and/or control of ski board 410. Left andright blade assemblies 414 and 416 tend to cut into snow 113 during useespecially when the user of ski board 410 is banking to the left orright while skiing along on mini-ski 112. Depending on the conditions ofthe snow and/or ice along which the user is traveling, blade assemblies414 and 416 may be in contact with the snow and/or ice even when theuser is not banking to the left or the right such that board 412 issubstantially parallel with the upper surface of the snow and/or ice. Asthe user banks ski board 410 to the left, left blade assemblies 414engage and tend to dig into the snow and/or ice below its upper surfacesuch that the left blade assembly 414 tends to catch on the snow and/orice to prevent or limit axial movement of the ski board 410 relative tothe snow and/or ice to the right. Similarly, right blade assembly 416will engage and dig into the snow and/or ice as the user banks the skiboard 410 to the right whereby right blade assembly 416 catches on thesnow and/or ice and tends to limit the axial movement of ski board 410axially to the left.

The system of the present invention thus provides for a multipleinter-related embodiments for use on ice, snow, pavement and so forthwherein the various components may be used as a kit such that thecomponents are interchangeable and adapted to mount on various bootsand/or boards via the use of rail 14, or the adapters which may includeplate 114 and plates 342 and 344. While the primary embodiments havebeen shown specifically in the drawings and described herein, the systemalso includes any other embodiments which may be formed by thecombination of various components of the system.

In the foregoing description, certain terms have been used for brevity,clearness, and understanding. No unnecessary limitations are to beimplied therefrom beyond the requirement of the prior art because suchterms are used for descriptive purposes and are intended to be broadlyconstrued.

Moreover, the description and illustration of the invention is anexample and the invention is not limited to the exact details shown ordescribed.

1. An ice skate comprising: a boot; and a plurality of inline ice bladesmounted on the boot
 2. The ice skate of claim 1 wherein the ice bladeshave respective arcuate ice-contact surfaces.
 3. An ice skatecomprising: a boot; and a plurality of circular ice blades mounted onthe boot.
 4. The ice skate of claim 3 wherein the ice blades arerotatably mounted on the boot.
 5. An ski skate comprising: a boot; and afirst mini-ski mounted on the boot.
 6. The ski skate of claim 5 whereinthe first mini-ski is rotatably mounted on the boot.
 7. The ski skate ofclaim 5 further comprising a second mini-ski mounted on the boot.
 8. Theski skate of claim 7 wherein the first and second mini-skis arerotatably mounted on the boot.
 9. The ski skate of claim 7 furthercomprising a third mini-ski mounted on the boot.
 10. The ski skate ofclaim 9 wherein the first, second and third mini-skis are rotatablymounted on the boot.
 11. A mounting adapter comprising: a first adapterplate mounting mounted on one of a boot and a board and adapted forsecuring thereto one of an ice skating blade, roller skating wheels anda mini-ski.
 12. The mounting adapter of claim 11 further comprising asecond adapter plate mounted on the boot.
 13. The mounting adapter ofclaim 12 further comprising a third adapter plate mounted on the boot.